The Disguise in Plain Sight Raid
by AliasCWN
Summary: Littlejohn suggests a mission that includes both teams and a little play-acting.
1. Chapter 1

**The Disguise in Plain Sight Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 1

"Littlejohn! Nelson!"

The two men rushed over at the sound of their names.

"Yeah Sarge?"

Sergeant Chip Saunders eyed the two soldiers in front of him. They didn't look too tired for the job he had in mind. "Command has a compound about three or four miles back where they're holding prisoners. You and Billy take our prisoners back there and turn them over to whoever is in charge." Saunders directed his orders to Littlejohn, effectively putting him in charge of their assignment. "Once you drop them off, get right back here." He pulled his helmet off and ran his fingers through his long hair. "Hopefully we'll still be here when you get back. If we aren't…well, you'll just have to find us."

The big man nodded his understanding. The battle lines had moved quite often in the last few days. First squad was currently tasked with holding a small hill and the surrounding area, but he knew that that could change at a moment's notice.

"Go back, drop them off, and get back here, no fooling around." Saunders warned gruffly.

"Got it Sarge." Littlejohn hefted his rifle and turned to his smaller companion. "Come on Billy, we got work to do."

Saunders ran his fingers through his hair again. "Keep your eyes open Littlejohn. There may be Kraut patrols infiltrating our lines." Putting his helmet back on his head, Saunders sighed. "Maybe once this push is over I'll have time to get a haircut."

"When this push is over all I want to do is sleep." Kirby complained from nearby.

"Now you're starting to sound like someone else we know." Littlejohn observed. "And all you do is complain because they sleep a lot."

"Aw shut up you big oaf." Kirby growled angrily.

"Shut up, both of you!" Saunders ordered before the argument could get started. "Littlejohn, you and Billy get moving." With a jerk of his head, Saunders sent them on their way with their two prisoners.

"Kirby, keep your eyes open and your mouth shut." Saunders walked away, tired of the arguments, and if truth be known, just plain tired. They all needed sleep and he admitted that a little R&R wouldn't hurt, knowing how unlikely that was, he settled for checking their perimeter.

"He's worried." Caje's quiet announcement interrupted Saunders' thoughts.

"We're all worried." Saunders replied.

"He had good friends in Second Squad. He took it hard when he heard about their capture." The cajun explained Kirby's outburst.

Saunders sighed, resigned to having the conversation that he had been avoiding. He knew how Kirby felt; the sergeant from Second Squad was a good friend of his. "We all had friends on Second Squad. We're all worried. But we don't take it out on everyone around us like Kirby."

The cajun shrugged. "That's his way. He doesn't mean anything by it."

"I know." Saunders answered softly. "I just don't have the patience for it right now."

"Why don't you go get some rest? Things are pretty quiet right now, we can handle this."

The sergeant started shaking his head. "No, I need to finish checking the perimeter." Saunders moved off, calling over his shoulder. "I'll see you later."

Caje's words echoed in his head as he checked on each man on guard. A lot of them had friends on Second Squad. He wondered if the others were getting nervous and irritable too. It was something he would have to consider as the day wore on. Sending Littlejohn and Nelson back with the prisoners left him shorthanded but he hadn't wanted to keep men guarding the Germans. They had enough problems without worrying about prisoners escaping.

Littlejohn and Billy turned their prisoners over to the guards at the prison compound. The fighting had been widespread over the last week and there were quite a few prisoners already there.

"Gee Littlejohn, I wonder if they have this many of our guys." Billy tried to count the prisoners but it was hard to get a good count with all of them milling around.

"Could be Billy, I heard that they overran a couple of our lines." Littlejohn looked around the compound as he answered.

"It's too bad we can't go after them."

Littlejohn laughed at Billy's innocence. "And just how would you do it Billy? We can't just walk in there and tell them that we want them back."

"Sarge would think of something." The smaller man declared confidently.

"Maybe you could suggest it to him when we get back. We'd better go, he's waiting for us."

Billy nodded and turned to leave.

"Hey Billy, do you see who I see?"

Littlejohn's question stopped Billy in his tracks. Turning, he looked where Littlejohn was looking. Coming out of a tent in front of them were several guards and four German prisoners. Billy looked at the guards but he didn't recognize them. "Hey!" he yelled as he recognized the Germans.

One of the German prisoners turned at the yell. Seeing Littlejohn and Billy, his eyes sparkled with delight and he smiled widely. "Hi guys!"

With Billy following, Littlejohn rushed over to greet their friends.

"What are you guys doing here? You aren't pulling off some mission without us are you?" The big private eyed the others with suspicion. "You didn't find another squad to work with, did you?"

Tully Pettigrew laughed and shook his head in denial.

"Do you know these men?"

Littlejohn snapped to attention as an officer stepped out of the tent.

Returning his salute, the Major repeated his question. "Do you know these men?"

"Yes sir."

"Who are they?"

Littlejohn glanced at the four men in question with surprise. It suddenly dawned on him that they were dressed as Germans, maybe they were undercover. Maybe they didn't want anyone to know their true identities.

Seeing the look on his face, Sam Troy guessed at his thoughts. "It's all right Littlejohn; we already told them who we are."

""Then why are they asking me?"

"He just wants independent confirmation."

"I'm asking the questions here soldier." The Major demanded angrily. "Do you know these men or don't you?"

"Yes sir." Littlejohn answered, pointing toward each man. "That's Sergeant Troy and that one is Sergeant Moffitt. The other two are Privates Hitchcock and Pettigrew."

"And how do you know them?"

"We helped them with a couple of assignments." Littlejohn answered.

"What kind of assignments?"

Billy tugged on Littlejohn's sleeve. "Can we tell him that?"

Littlejohn looked from Billy, to the Major, to Troy. "I don't know, can we?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" The Major demanded.

"He means that it's classified Major. Unless you have the proper clearance, he can't tell you any of the details." Troy explained before Littlejohn could answer.

"I see, all right privates, you can go."

Littlejohn nodded at Troy and turned to leave. He nearly collided with a messenger rushing toward the Major. Side-stepping quickly, he waited for the other man to pass.

"Major, an urgent dispatch from headquarters." The messenger handed the officer the sealed envelope and backed away.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Disguise in Plain Sight** **Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 2

Only minutes before Littlejohn and Billy arrive:

The guards ushered the four German prisoners into the Major's tent. Looking up, the Major studied the men before him. They certainly looked German. Their uniforms were correct and they fit them well. Rising from his desk, he returned their salutes, feeling awkward as he did so.

"All right Lieutenant, explain this. What is going on?"

"Major, these men say they are American. They speak perfect English sir….that is, all except this one. He has an accent."

"It's an English accent Lieutenant, a proper English accent, not one of your movie ones." Moffitt corrected the young officer.

"Moffitt." The German sergeant addressed the German private. "You're not helping."

"My apologies,… this just happens to be a sore spot with me." Moffitt apologized before falling silent again.

The Major watched the exchange in surprise. Not sure what to say, he turned to the German lieutenant. The tall blond officer fit the image of a Hitler youth. "All right Lieutenant, can you tell me what is going on here?" To his surprise the lieutenant smiled and nodded to the sergeant.

"You'd better talk to my sergeant; he's the one in charge." The young officer stepped back until he was behind the sergeant.

"All right, someone tell me what is going on!" The Major ordered irritably.

"As we tried to explain to your Lieutenant," The sergeant began, "we're an America unit working undercover." The sergeant went on to identify himself and each of his men. "I'm Sergeant Sam Troy, the private is Sergeant Jack Moffitt. He's British in case you didn't notice." The sergeant smiled at his team mate. "The lieutenant is Private Mark Hitchcock while the other private is Private Tully Pettigrew. We were on our way home from an assignment when some of your guys caught us."

"Then your mission is complete?"

"Yes sir." Troy confirmed. "We successfully completed it before we ran into your guys."

"My guys Sergeant? Don't you mean 'our guys'?" The major watched the sergeant's eyes as he pointed out the phrasing. "If you are really Americans then we are all on the same side."

"You're right of course Major." The sergeant admitted, meeting the Major's appraising stare. "Only the ones who caught us are under your command, not mine. My guys are the ones that you see right here."

The Major nodded, somewhat satisfied with the answer. "And how do I know that you are telling the truth?"

"Call headquarters and ask for Colonel Taft. He knows about our assignment. Our codename is "Ghost Fox." Let him know that we are here and that 'the fox was in the henhouse but the chickens fought back'. He'll know what it means."

"All right Sergeant, I'll contact headquarters, but until I hear back from them, we are holding you." The Major agreed but he added a warning.

"Understood Major," Troy nodded, "only you can't put us in with the German prisoners. Moffitt is the only one of us who speaks the language; once they realize that, we're dead. They don't like spies any more than we do."

"At least we agree on something." The Major remarked.

Troy smiled. "We agree on a lot of things Major. It's the things we don't agree on that are causing the problems."

Eyeing the sergeant, the Major sent his aide to contact headquarters.

"I will have you and your men held in a tent until we get the word back from headquarters. Make no mistake Sergeant, until your story is confirmed, you are still prisoners. Don't give me any trouble."

"Give us a place to sleep and you won't know we're here Major." The sergeant assured him.

"All right…Lieutenant, find them an empty tent and assign guards to keep an eye on them. We'll talk later Sergeant." The Major returned their salutes and watched as they were ushered out of his tent. He stepped to his door to watch them go, a thoughtful expression on his face.

They had only gone a short distance when he heard someone yell 'hey!' Glancing over, he saw two privates approaching. One of the 'German' prisoners returned the greeting by calling 'hi guys' as if they were acquainted. Curious, the Major stepped toward them.

The Major questioned the two privates and they identified the 'German' prisoners as American soldiers. He didn't like that they claimed that any other information was classified, but they did give him the information he needed to confirm their story.

He would have sent them to their tent at that point if the message from headquarters hadn't arrived just then.

"Is something wrong?" The Lieutenant asked as the Major's face paled as he read the message.

"What?" The Major asked. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"I asked if anything was wrong Major." The Lieutenant repeated.

"There was a high level staff meeting held at headquarters. Some of the officers were on their way back here when they were captured. They have all of the information discussed at the meeting." The Major looked like he was in shock.

"What can we do Major?"

"There is nothing we can do Lieutenant. By now they are well behind enemy lines. We will just have to wait until headquarters decides what they want to do."

"Major?"

The Major looked up at the big private who had recognized his 'prisoners'. "Yes Private?"

"Where would they take those officers?" Littlejohn asked.

The Major shrugged. "I would think that they would take them to a holding area something like this. We can only assume that they have one somewhere behind their lines."

"But they won't keep them there long will they?" The big man insisted.

"Probably not." The Major admitted. "Why do you ask?"

Littlejohn hesitated and looked at Troy. "I know that there isn't much time, but maybe we could rescue them." Looking at Troy, he continued, "You already have the German uniforms. Maybe you could sneak in there and get them out."

Troy looked at Moffitt in surprise, a gleam of an idea in his eyes. Looking back at Littlejohn, he asked. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"I guess so." Littlejohn answered uncertainly.

Troy began to smile as he looked at his team. "Do you think Saunders would go for it?"

"You could ask him." Littlejohn answered with a grin.

"Go for what?" The Major demanded.

"Let's go back inside Major. I think that we may be able to help." Troy waited for the Major to lead the way. Once inside he outlined his plan.

"What if we got to the compound before they move the officers? If it's like here, there aren't that many guards. Suppose we walk in with another group of prisoners? We might be able to take over the camp before they know what hit them."

"You'll go in dressed as Germans?" The Major asked.

"We already have the uniforms." Troy replied with a grin.

"Who will you take as prisoners?"

"First squad, Littlejohn's outfit, has worked with us before. We actually did something like this once before. If you could let us use them, I think we can pull this off."

The Major considered the idea for a few moments, balancing the risks against the benefits.

"All right Sergeant, I'll run it past headquarters. I'll let you know. Private," the Major looked at Littlejohn, "stick around until we get an answer."


	3. Chapter 3

**The Disguise in Plain Sight Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 3

"Where are they?" Saunders checked his watch again. "I told them to come right back." He paced back and forth, watching the road.

"Maybe they ran into trouble. Do you want me to go look for them?" Caje offered as he watched the sergeant pace.

"No," Saunders snapped. "I'm already shorthanded with Littlejohn and Billy gone. We'll wait a little longer."

"I'm sure that there's a good reason." Caje attempted to calm the sergeant.

"There had better be!" Saunders growled in frustration. "I'm going to go check our lines again, let me know the minute they get back."

"Right Sarge." The cajun kept his eyes glued to the trail that the two men should be using to return.

"Aren't they back yet?" Doc walked up next to Caje and followed his gaze.

"No." The cajun answered.

"Maybe some officer grabbed them for some errand." Doc tried to come up with a logical excuse why the two privates hadn't returned.

"Maybe," Caje replied uneasily, "but I wish they'd get back. Sarge is starting to think that something happened to them."

"Are we going to go look for them?"

"No." Caje explained. "Our orders are to hold this position. There's no one to take over if we leave."

Doc nodded his understanding. "So what are we going to do?"

"We wait."

Doc sat down next to Caje and began to reorganize his kit. Sorting his supplies and repacking them gave him something to do while they waited. He was replacing the last of it when he looked up and noticed movement on the road.

"Caje!"

Caje spun quickly and spotted what had caught Doc's eye. "Go get Sarge."

Doc nodded and rose to get Saunders. They had been expecting two men but there were a lot more than that approaching. "Sarge! Hey Sarge! There's somebody coming! Looks like they have more prisoners." Doc whispered as he located Saunders.

"Littlejohn and Nelson?"

"I don't know." Doc answered honestly. "If it's them, they brought somebody with them. It looks like a lot of guys coming."

Saunders considered the answer before he nodded and got up to go see who was approaching his hill. Doc followed him back to where Caje waited, his own curiosity aroused.

Saunders came to a sudden stop when he recognized the visitors. "Troy, what are you up to now?" He eyed the German uniforms critically.

"Saunders." Troy acknowledged. "Are you in the market for another joint assignment? Volunteers only. Could get dicey."

Saunders managed to keep his expression neutral despite the unexpected invitation. "You going in in German uniforms?"

"Yes."

"Would we?"

"Not this time." Troy smiled. "This time you are going to be prisoners. Can you work with that?"

"Headquarters Okayed this?"

"As long as you're willing." Troy confirmed. "Sergeant Drake and his squad will take your place here if you decide to do it."

"All right Drake, have your men relieve mine until I run it past them."

First squad gathered around their sergeant and waited to find out what was happening. At the sight of Troy and his men they all grew silent.

"Geez Hitchcock, you didn't have to join the German army to get promoted. Our army would have promoted you sooner or later." Kirby called as he saw the uniforms.

"Maybe, maybe not." Hitchcock replied, "I decided not to wait."

Kirby kept staring at the men in the German uniforms. "You know Caje; they really do look like Krauts. It's kind of scary really." Kirby whispered loudly to Caje. "I almost want to shoot them myself."

"Can it Kirby!" Saunders warned his BAR man. "Troy and his team have a question for us. I'll let them explain the assignment and you can either agree or go back to your positions. This is another volunteer mission."

Troy stepped in front of the men and began to outline the plan. He started by explaining why it was important to get the men back. Then he told them about Littlejohn's idea to rescue them. "You will go in pretending to be prisoners. Since it's raining a bit, you can get away with wearing ponchos. You can hide your weapons under the ponchos while we are walking. We'll head for the holding center and take out the guards when we get there. We take over the compound and check for the officers. If they're still there we get them and bug out. We have to get them safely back to our lines. In and out, quick, and easy."

"It's going to be tricky getting through the German lines." Brockmeyer pointed out.

"That's why you are going in as prisoners." Troy explained. "We'll walk you right past any German squads we meet."

"How will we know where to go?" Kirby asked. "We don't know where they hold their prisoners."

Troy grinned. "We'll ask someone when we run into them."

Kirby snorted. "Who is going to ask? Your lieutenant," He nodded toward Hitch, "doesn't speak German."

"But our private does and he'll do the asking. The lieutenant will be too busy with the prisoners to ask for directions."

Kirby raised his eyebrows and accepted the explanation. "You have it all figured out huh?"

"Not all of it." Troy admitted. "This was a last minute plan. We'll have to play it by ear once we get there."

"Well," Saunders asked them, "do we go or do we stay here?"

"We go." Caje said softly, watching Kirby for his response.

Kirby nodded, "I'm in."

One by one, each of the others volunteered to go.

"That's it Drake, we go." Saunders told the other sergeant who had been waiting for a confirmation. "You and your guys can take over here."

Drake nodded, his eyes wandering from one man to the next. He didn't see any sign of hesitation in any of them. The plan sounded crazy to him, but if headquarters had approved it, who was he to argue.

"Good luck." Was all he said.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Disguise in Plain Sight Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 4

"Hey Sarge."

"I saw them, keep walking."

The four men of the Rat Patrol, still dressed as Germans, were walking through the countryside leading their American 'prisoners'.

The 'prisoners', Saunders and his men, eyed the approaching Germans cautiously.

"What now Troy?"

"We keep walking." Troy responded in a low voice. "Keep the talk to a minimum, prisoners aren't allowed to talk….Moffitt, go over and ask them where we can drop off these prisoners."

Moffitt nodded and angled toward the German squad that was coming from the other direction.

"The rest of you keep walking." Troy warned the group. "We don't want them to stop and talk."

"They're still watching us." Caje whispered under his breath.

"They're curious." Troy cautioned, "Don't you guys stare when German prisoners walk by?"

"They're coming this way." Caje warned again. "Moffitt is leading but the whole squad is headed this way."

"Okay, everybody be ready, it looks like we may have to take them. Don't show any weapons until we're sure they're on to us. Tully, Hitch, get ready." Troy dropped behind the others as Tully and Hitch separated. The wider grouping gave them a better field of fire if things went wrong.

Moffitt headed toward Hitch, lengthening his lead on the German squad. Talking rapidly, he tried to give Hitch clues as to what he was saying by using exaggerated facial expressions.

A quick learner, Hitch began to copy his expressions. Moffitt smiled at him to let him know that he had interpreted the signals correctly. Moffitt continued to talk rapidly, closing the gap.

The leader of the German squad called to the lieutenant. Hitch looked toward him and tried to look disinterested. The German spoke again but stopped walking when the 'lieutenant' didn't answer.

The German glanced around at Troy and Tully, then spoke again, this time addressing Moffitt.

Moffitt responded, obviously trying to calm his suspicions.

The German stiffened, eying the men in front of him. His eyes darted between them, clearly nervous and tense. Suddenly he made his decision; yelling an alarm, he raised his rifle to aim at Moffitt.

"Now!" Troy yelled, springing into action. The Americans took aim at the Germans before the Germans soldiers realized what was occurring. Troy shot the squad leader before he could shoot Moffitt. The German fell as his men dropped behind him. When the gunfire stopped, the German squad all lay dead.

"Everybody Okay?" Troy checked the Germans as he asked for a status report.

"Sarge is hit." Caje called.

Troy spun in surprise at the call, concern clear on his face.

Doc knelt next to Saunders, ripping his shirt sleeve away to expose the wound. Fumbling through his kit, he pulled out the supplies he needed.

"Tully, Moffitt, walk out a ways and make sure that no one else heard those shots. We need to hide these bodies or we're going to have a lot of explaining to do."

Tully and Moffitt went to look for anyone who might have heard the shots.

"Hitch, see if you can find a clean private's uniform that fits."

Hitch nodded and went to examine the dead Germans.

"I thought that we needed a lieutenant." Saunders said as Doc worked on bandaging his arm.

"We'll keep the uniform in case we need it but Hitch doesn't speak German." Troy explained. "We don't want every group we run into to want to talk to the officer in charge. We're going to have to let Moffitt do our talking. Four privates with prisoners won't look out of place."

The bodies were hidden in a dip in the ground, covered with leaves and brush. They even kicked some rocks and dirt over them to add to the camouflage.

"Moffitt, what did that guy want?" Troy asked as soon as the British sergeant rejoined them.

"He wanted to ask the lieutenant how things were going on the front. He could have asked me but he wanted to ask the one with the most authority." Moffitt eyed Hitchcock's new rank with approval. "Is Hitch upset because you gave him a demotion?"

Troy shook his head 'no'.

"Did we find out where they are holding the prisoners?" Saunders asked, holding his arm.

Moffitt smiled as he nodded. "Yes we did. They were more than willing to tell me exactly where to go."

Doc stood up, holding his kit. "That's it, it's not too bad. The bullet went clear through without hitting the bone." He addressed Saunders as he repacked his kit. "Do you want me to give you some morphine?"

"No," the sergeant replied, flexing his arm, "It's not that bad."

"We'd better get moving then." Troy ordered. "How far do we have to go?"

"According to our friends, it's about five miles. They just moved it back so they weren't surprised that we didn't know where it was located." Moffitt watched Saunders as he continued to flex his arm. "Are you going to be able to keep up?"

"No problem." Saunders assured him. "Like Troy says, we should move on. They won't hold those officers in one place too long."


	5. Chapter 5

**The Disguise in Plain Sight Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 5

"How many guards do you see?" Troy was crouched next to a tree and watching the holding area for prisoners.

"I count an even dozen on duty." Moffitt answered. "We still have to allow for those in the barracks." He added in a low voice.

"My guys can take care of the barracks." Saunders offered.

"I'll need a few of them as prisoners." Troy reminded him.

"Take Littlejohn and Billy." Saunders told him, "They came up with this plan in the first place, seems only fair to let them have a starring role. "

"Give me one more," Troy suggested, "two prisoners don't rate four guards."

"Do you want two more?"

"No," Troy grinned, "Littlejohn counts for two."

"Yeah, but Billy is small." Saunders added, trying to continue the light-hearted moment.

"He's big enough." Troy replied seriously. "I'm not about to underestimate him, those little guys can fool you."

"Good." Saunders responded, getting serious as he glanced back toward his squad. "Billy's a good soldier." The gravity of the situation called for serious consideration of their assets.

"Any sign of the officers?" Littlejohn called from behind them.

"Not yet." Saunders replied quietly. "They could be holding them separately. They may even be in the commander's office right now."

"As long as they're here." The big man replied, unconcerned about the part he was about to play.

"All right," Troy called, pulling back to where they could all gather in a circle. "Littlejohn and Billy are still going to act as prisoners." Troy waited for Saunders to name the third man.

"I'll be the third man." Saunders surprised Troy by saying. "With this arm I won't be as much help taking the barracks."

"Actually Saunders, I believe we could use some of your men to help with the other guards too. The two at the other end of the camp may be difficult for us to get without putting the entire plan at risk." Moffitt suggested.

"I can take out those guards." Tully offered. "I can get them from a distance so they won't spot us sneaking up on them."

"Take Caje." Saunders agreed without hesitation. "The two of you can get around that end of the compound before we start our end of it. Kirby can lead the assault on the barracks."

Troy was nodding as Saunders outlined his ideas. "Six of us can take the rest of the guards. We'll have the advantage of surprise in our side."

The three sergeants finalized the details while Tully kept an eye on the compound. They went over it one last time, making sure that everyone knew their part.

"Remember, we have the advantage of surprise. They think they are safe this far behind their lines. We're about to prove them wrong. Good luck everyone. Take your places. We'll start the show when we face the guards at the gate."

Saunders watched his men head for their positions as he shifted his arm in the sling that Doc had insisted that he use. He had a lot of confidence in this squad but he wished that they could all stay together. Watching them go was like sending your first born off to college.

"Here." Troy interrupted his thoughts to hand him a pistol. "Slide it in the sling, it will be easier to use at that range than your rifle."

"Thanks. We're really going to do this." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, we are." Troy confirmed.

"Okay." Saunders spotted the signal from Caje. "Caje and Pettigrew are ready." The six of them waited expectantly for the signal that Kirby and his team were in position. When it came, they collectively took a dep breath and stepped out into the open.

There was no outcry as they approached the compound. Those who spotted them saw three German soldiers escorting three American prisoners. As they got closer Saunders tried to count the American prisoners behind the wire fence. His quick estimate was well over one hundred-fifty. The prisoners took notice and began to gather to watch them come in. Saunders caught his breath as he spotted several of the men from Second Squad.

"Second Squad is here." Saunders said softly. "They were captured three days ago. The big guy walking toward the gate is their sergeant. If they are still here I guess that means they haven't emptied the camp for a few days at least."

"Does that mean that the officers are still here?" Littlejohn whispered.

"We'll find out soon enough." Saunders answered. "No more talking."

"Talk Saunders." Troy encouraged. "Greet the guys that you know. You're talking just might distract the guards and give us a better chance at this."

So Saunders called to the sergeant of second squad, calling him by name. Littlejohn and Billy yelled to the guys that they recognized.

The German guards turned in surprise at the shouting, rushing toward them to silence them. They gathered into a group as they approached the new prisoners. They looked totally surprised when Troy shot the first of them.

Before they could react the other five newcomers opened fire on them. Caje and Tully took out the two guards in the towers at the end of the camp, shooting them from the protection of the nearby trees. Kirby and his group hit the barracks before the firing had stopped in the compound. When the echo of the last shot died down, the guards became prisoners and the prisoners were free.

"Is everybody Okay?" Saunders shouted into the silence before the ex-prisoners started to cheer.

"Billy's hit." Littlejohn called, kneeling next to the smaller man. "I have the bleeding stopped but Doc needs to take a look at it."

"Doc!" Saunders bellowed.

Doc ran forward, already opening his bag. To his relief, Billy was the only American casualty. Moving next to Billy, he quickly examined the wound. Grunting in satisfaction, he began to dig through his kit.

"How is he Doc?"

"He'll live." Doc murmured, concentrating on his task.

"Will he be able to walk?" Saunders persisted. "Come on Doc, do we need to find a stretcher or not?"

"I think he can walk." Doc answered, still focused on his task.

"The officers aren't here yet." Troy announced after Moffitt finished talking to the surviving Germans. "Saunders, how would you like to explain to the prisoners why we can't let them out yet?"

"That sounds like fun." Saunders groaned.

"They'll understand when you explain to them that they don't have choice." Troy grinned.

"Yeah, right."


	6. Chapter 6

**The Disguise in Plain Sight Raid**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 6

Troy was right, the prisoners did understand once everything was explained to them, they didn't like it, but they understood. Their mood did improve a bit when Saunders and his men handed out all of the spare weapons found in the camp.

"We could use some of the extra armed men outside of the camp as a second line of defense." Troy suggested.

Second squad was among the men who volunteered for that duty. They hid in the trees and waited for a signal from Troy or Saunders.

"How do we know that they didn't take them someplace else?" Billy asked as he rested while the others prepared for the next stage of the mission.

"We don't." Saunders explained. "But this is our best chance to get them back. Headquarters seems to think that this is where they'd be sent. We follow orders Billy."

"We'll wait for a few hours Billy." Troy stated. "If they don't show up by then we'll have to admit that we missed them and we'll head back."

"We're taking all of the prisoners that we found, right?"

"Of course Billy." Saunders replied.

"Sarge!" Caje was running toward them, looking over his shoulder. "There's a car coming."

"Everybody take your places." Troy shouted to the soldiers taking part in the deception. They had dressed more of the ex-prisoners in German uniforms found in the barracks to act as the guards for the camp. The extra firepower would help to rescue the officers without injury to the prisoners.

The soldiers still behind the fence moved back from the gate, out of the line of fire. When Moffitt gave a signal, they would start a fight, creating a distraction to increase the element of surprise.

Saunders took his place among those hiding in the barracks. With his arm in a sling, he couldn't pass as a guard. Since the camp officer had been a lieutenant, Hitchcock was once again wearing a lieutenant's uniform. He stood in front of one of the buildings talking to a freed prisoner who spoke German. The ex-prisoner was going to translate for him so he could react accordingly. As the car pulled into the camp, Hitch continued his conversation, ignoring the car and its occupants.

Two German officers climbed out, followed by a guard and two American officers. The driver exited the vehicle and stood back to allow the officers to pass him.

One of the officers spotted Hitch and called to him. Hitch ignored him, pretending not to hear him. When he called again, louder this time, Hitch looked his way and nodded before returning to his conversation. The officer, a captain, called to Hitch angrily, apparently not happy about being ignored.

When Hitch still ignored him, the officer gave an order to his companion and stalked toward the 'lieutenant'.

Moffitt stepped forward and offered to help the remaining officer to care for his prisoners. When the officer politely refused, Moffitt insisted, showing his weapon. The driver reacted, trying to draw his sidearm. Moffitt hit him with his weapon, knocking him unconscious. Another soldier stepped forward and helped Moffitt to subdue the officer as the Captain approached Hitchcock.

The Captain fumed as he stalked toward the young lieutenant, furious that the youthful officer would dare ignore him. He lashed out verbally as he approached, determined to report the young lieutenant. It only angered him further that the youth watched his approach with an amused expression on his face. Red-face, he berated the youth for his actions. His face reddened even more when the lieutenant's companion pointed a weapon at him and ordered him to raise his hands….in German and then in English. Standing there in shock, he was soon surrounded by more Americans in German uniforms.

"The captors become prisoners and the prisoners become captors. A good day's work if you ask me." One of the officers stated happily after the surprise had worn off.

Troy and Saunders explained the day's events as everyone returned to their own uniforms. Only Troy's men still wore German uniforms as they didn't have any American uniforms with them. Arming as many men as possible, the entire population of the camp began walking back toward the American lines.

The few Germans that they met on the way either surrendered or died when faced with the large group of Allied soldiers.

As they reached their own headquarters, guards rushed forward to take charge of the prisoners. A soldier headed for Troy and his men, rifle ready. He paused as he realized that they were armed. Yelling a warning, he raised his rifle.

Saunders stepped in front of Troy, raising his hands. "Hold it, these are our guys."

An officer, drawn by the shouting, demanded an explanation. "Who are these men and why are they armed?"

"They are American sir." Saunders repeated. "They were part of this rescue." Troy and his men handed their weapons to the guards and raised their hands obediently. "Ask any man here Sir, they are with us."

The officer eyed them, unconvinced. "Why didn't they change back into their own uniforms?"

"They were on an earlier mission and didn't have their American uniforms with them. Headquarters knows who they are Sir." Saunders explained.

"All right Sergeant. I want a full report. Now." He indicated that Saunders, the Rat Patrol and several of the officers from the POW camp all follow him into his tent. Several MPs brought up the rear. An hour later the men left the tent, having been cleared by witnesses and a message from headquarters.

"You know, we may just get a few days leave after this." Troy remarked.

"I might know a good place to spend a few days." Saunders replied.

"We could meet up there and have a few drinks."

"Sounds good, if we get the time off." Saunders admitted skeptically.

"We'll see what we can do." Troy promised. "Right now, we need some sleep. We'll hunt you up later."

Saunders and his men watched as the four men disappeared into a tent to get some sleep.

"Sleep." Kirby shook his head in disbelief. "All they do is sleep." He complained without any conviction.

"What are you complaining about?" Caje asked with a laugh. "You said if we got a break all you wanted to do was sleep."

"Yeah," Kirby sighed, "but if we really do get a break, I might just change my mind."

Caje laughed and pounded the BAR man on the back. "Maybe you'll get your chance, don't count on it, but maybe."


End file.
